Leprosy, the oldest disease known to be associated with humans, is not a thing of the past. John Stewart Spencer, associate professor at Colorado State University, says research shows humans are contracting leprosy from common, nine-banded armadillos. The disease is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, the identical strain infecting the majority of armadillos and native leprosy patients in Texas and Louisiana, indicating a zoonotic infection being transmitted to humans. Spencer’s team went to the armadillo’s native land, South America, to find out if transmission was happening there.
Source: The Conversation, August 7, 2018. Link.
A surprising 62 percent of armadillos killed by hunters showed signs of infection with M. Leprae, a rate three times higher than in Texas and Louisiana. Most importantly, a group of 27 individuals who ate armadillo meat most frequently had antibody levels 50 percent higher than other groups, indicating that increased consumption almost doubled their risk for disease.
INSIGHTS: As Spencer notes, wild animals carry multiple diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Its best to be careful about how we interact with armadillos. An easy to understand book about zoonosis is “Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health” by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers. Link.
Also see: Nine-banded armadillo, National Wildlife Federation. Link.
Nine-banded armadillos are found in the southeastern United States, but their range has been expanding continually northward for more than a hundred years. A few have even been spotted as far north as Illinois and Nebraska.
Also see: Armadillo expansion, Armadillo Online. Link.